Launceston in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Launceston sees average daytime highs around 21°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 157 mm of rain over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 19°C in early December to 21°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.

Summer is Launceston's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Launceston's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
21°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
10°C
Rainfall
157 mm
21 wet days
Avg wind
11 km/h
Travel score
6.9
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Launceston in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 19°C in early December to 21°C by late February.

A typical summer day in Launceston reaches about 21°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.

10°20°30°DecJanFeb

How summer really feels in Launceston

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

summer sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Launceston weather by month

How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 11°546.514.77.3
Feb22° / 11°466.613.77.0
Mar20° / 497.112.36.7
Apr16° / 537.210.95.4
May13° / 608.39.74.0
Jun11° / 618.89.12.8
Jul11° / 7410.19.32.5
Aug11° / 8111.310.32.8
Sep13° / 7611.311.73.6
Oct15° / 639.813.14.7
Nov18° / 619.714.35.7
Dec20° / 578.114.96.5

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Launceston gets around 157 mm of rain over 21 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 11 km/h across summer.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min in early December to 13 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.7 kWh/m².

02468DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Is summer a good time to visit Launceston?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

6.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Launceston for sightseeing.

What to pack for Launceston in Summer

From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In summer, Launceston sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 21 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Launceston in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 17°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 55 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 12°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May15Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Launceston in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Launceston peaks around December 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 22UV 12Jun 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar8Very high
Apr4Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Launceston?

Launceston sits at 41.4°S, 147.1°E, 11 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Devonport, 72 km away.

TraralgonWarragulMount MarthaMorningtonPakenham

Topography around Launceston

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Launceston.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Launceston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 m around an average of 62 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 743 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,597 m.

The land around Launceston is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and trees (38%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and grassland (38%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
226 m
16 km
743 m
80 km
1,597 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Summer weather nearby: Devonport 72 km · Burnie 111 km · Hobart 161 km · Traralgon 364 km · Warragul 379 km · Mount Martha 396 km · Mornington 400 km · Pakenham 401 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Launceston (-41.4388°, 147.1347°, elevation 11 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.